One of the 84 passengers aboard the Russian defense ministry plane, which crashed into the Black Sea, was Alexandrov Ensemble (Red Army Choir) soloist and opera singer, Russian Armenian Oganes (Hovhannes) Georgiyan.

In an interview with TASS news agency of Russia, renowned Russian singer Vladimir Ognev spoke on his memories about Georgiyan.

In his words, Georgiyan’s voice as a tenor had a rare high pitch. 

According to his friend, Oganes was also a wonderful pedagogue, he had mastered singing with perfection, and he could analyze any performance. 

“And in life, Oganes liked joking around; his eyes were always ‘smiling,’” added Ognev; this time speaking to the Komsomolskaya Pravda daily of Russia. “Oganes certainly was our ‘Sun.’ A tenor, who loved life and humor.”

And according to L!FE news agency of Russia, despite being a mechanical engineer by profession, Georgiyan had an incredibly powerful voice. Opera lovers had even named him the “Russian Pavarotti.”

He loved the stage, just like life.

But most importantly, Oganes Georgiyan loved his family.